Fuels are conventionally produced by refining crude oil (petroleum). This typically involves separating various fractions of crude oil by distillation. One such fraction is naphtha, which is a volatile liquid fraction distilled between the light gaseous components of crude oil and the heavier kerosene fraction. Naphtha contains a mixture of hydrocarbons (linear alkanes, branched alkanes, cycloalkanes and aromatic hydrocarbons) having a boiling point between about 30° C. and about 200° C. The density of naphtha is typically 750-785 kg/m3.
Naphtha has many uses, one of which is as an automotive fuel. Naphtha is also used as a lighter fluid and as a fuel for camping stoves.
Renewable fuels derived from biological matter (“biofuels”) are gaining popularity as a more environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels. Examples of biofuels include biodiesel, which is typically produced by transesterification of triglycerides contained in vegetable oils (e.g. soybean oil). This yields a mixture of fatty acid alkyl esters (e.g. fatty acid methyl ester (FAME)). Biodiesel can also be produced from animal fats (e.g. tallow).
An object of the present invention is to provide a renewable hydrocarbon composition which is useful as a fuel component.